Farmers Movement Archive

Turn Bengaluru into Delhi, gherao city from all sides, Rakesh Tikait tells farmers

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait urged the farmers agitating against the three farm laws in Bengaluru to organise a protest in the state similar to that of Delhi and gherao the city from all sides, according to news agency ANI."There are lakhs of people gheraoing Delhi. This fight will go on for a long. We need to start such protest in every city until these three black laws are taken back and the law on MSP is not brought. You need to run a protest in Karnataka. A strategy has been made to snatch your land. Big companies will do farming... Labour laws have been amended to employ cheap labour," Tikait said while addressing a farmers' meeting in Shivamogga.Also Read: Key Delhi borders remain closed, traffic divertedRefuting the government's claim that as a result of these laws, farmers will be able to sell their crops anywhere, Tikait said, "The Prime Minister said farmers can sell crops anywhere so you take your crops to offices of District Collector, SDM and if the police stop you, ask them to buy crops on MSP." Watch | ‘Make Bengaluru like Delhi; gherao city from all sides’: Rakesh TikaitHe also said that the farmers needed to raise their voices against the privatisation of the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). "If this agitation is not held, then the country will be sold and you will lose your land in the next 20 years. You need to protest against these companies. Around 26 major PSUs are in process of privatisation. We need to take a pledge to stop this sale. We need to protest against this," he said.Thousands of farmers from various states are protesting in the national Capital against the three contentious agricultural laws passed by the Centre in September last year. The three laws, that according to the farmers would make them vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations, are -- The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.(with agency inputs)

Hindustan Times

21-03-2021

India